It Takes Two
by gladrags2012
Summary: KORPS are regrouping and they want Zoe again. The Mastermind is to be revived, but it's going to take two this time. Will the heart be ripped out of the team or are they going to find a way to survive once more ?
1. Chapter 1

**It Takes Two to make a criminal mastermind. Especially the fish tank variety. The team discover that KORPS are regrouping and attempting to revive the Mastermind again. **

"Team !" Frank greeted them as they exited the lift. "Bad news I'm afraid. We've received intelligence that KORPS are regrouping and are planning to revive the Mastermind once again. It looks like Zoe is going to be at serious risk."

This news was greeted with silence. Dan, Tom and Aneisha all glanced over at Zoe. Zoe stood stony faced, looking straight ahead. "Well, I'm ready for them," said Zoe.

"The trouble is, Agent London, that if you are in danger, then so is everyone who works with you," said Stella, stepping out of the shadows at the side of the room.

"Hey, wait a minute !" said Dan angrily. "That's not Zoe's fault."

"I never said it was Agent Morgan," said Stella. Suddenly she sounded very formal. "MI9 are prepared to provide protection for Agent London, but this can't be done while she is in active service with the rest of the team. For everyone's safety, she is being asked to step down until we have neutralised the KORPS threat."

"That could take a lifetime !" said Tom, sounding incredulous. "When is Zoe going to be able to go out again ?"

"When we know it's safe," said Stella.

"This is hopeless," said Dan. "Zoe's safest when she's with us, isn't she ? If she stays in one place, she's going to be an easier target."

"That is true, which is why she is going to be moved on a regular basis," said Stella. "Regular moves between safe houses has proven effective in the past. One of Frank's previous team was a target for SKUL due to an unfortunate family connection and they were moved on a regular basis. That worked out well, didn't it Frank ?" asked Stella.

"Well, to be honest it's a miracle he grew up to be a relatively well-balanced adult," said Frank apologetically. "He absolutely hated it," he added.

"Frank ! You're supposed to be helping here !" hissed Stella.

"Look Stella, I know you're trying to do the right thing by Zoe and keep her safe, but to be honest, she's not going to have much of a life if we're constantly moving her from place to place, trying to keep one step ahead of KORPS. At least if she is here working with us, we can keep an eye on her. She will be with her friends and not on her own. We don't want to do KORPS's work for them do we ?" said Frank.

Stella looked taken aback. Zoe spoke up. "Stella, I know you're doing your best, but Frank is right. I'm not going to put up with being locked up all over again. I put up with that for long enough in SKUL. I can't cope with it again. Please let me stay here ?" she begged.

Stella looked from Zoe to Frank and thought for a moment. "Allright, but you're not going to be able to stay at your safe house," said Stella. "It's not secure enough. I would like you to move into the living quarters here at base for the time being, just to be on the safe side."

"There are living quarters here ?" asked Aneisha.

"Yes. Frank lives here," said Stella. The team all looked at Frank in surprise. He looked a bit annoyed at Stella for letting out his little secret, but he guessed she was getting her own back for him not siding with her earlier.

"You OK with that Zoe ?" asked Dan. "It might be a good idea," he added.

"I can live with that," said Zoe. "Just so long as I don't have to leave the team." Reluctantly, Stella nodded her agreement.

"OK well, you've got classes in a few minutes," said Frank, checking his watch. "You'd better get back upstairs." They all nodded their agreement and headed for the lift. Once they were gone Stella rounded on Frank.

"Frank ! Don't bother to back me up then will you !" she hissed angrily.

"Stella, I'm sorry, really, but I'm afraid I do have some experience of this. Do you remember Oscar Dixon-Halliday ?" asked Frank.

"Was that Oscar Cole ?" asked Stella, puzzled.

"Yes, that was the identity which MI9 gave him," said Frank. "I first met him after an MI9 SWAT team attacked his home in an attempt to capture his mother, Jade. She had defected to SKUL after her husband Edward was captured on an MI9 mission in Africa when Oscar was only little. When Jade then abandoned Oscar he was about nine years old. I arrived at the house to find a SWAT team pointing guns at this boy hiding behind the sofa, absolutely terrified. He was moved from one safe house to another. Different people looked after him. One place was little better than a prison cell. In the end I think he joined the MI9 training programme as much to escape as anything. It was a pretty miserable life Stella," said Frank sadly. "It's amazing that he turned out as well as he did really."

Stella smiled at him. "Well, he had you didn't he ?" she said softly. "I expect you took him under your wing and tried to make things better for him didn't you ?" she asked.

Frank shrugged in embarrassment. "Well, I did my best," he said. "If only Jade had left him alone, it would have been a lot easier. She seemed to do her best to make his life a complete misery."

"Allright, well you can look after Zoe now," said Stella, giving him a hug. "You would make a great Dad you know Frank," she said with a cheeky grin. Frank blushed red. Stella didn't see his wistful look at her retreating back as she left the base.

Upstairs in St. Heart's the team raced for their next class, making it just in time. They were the last ones into the music class. "Just in time Aneisha, Dan, Tom, Zoe," said their teacher, frowning at them. "Don't leave it quite so late next time please ?" she asked as they dropped, panting into the remaining seats. Dan was left with the seat next to Melissa. Groaning inwardly he sat down next to her, lifting his eyebrows in response to her smile, but immediately returning his attention to the teacher.

"Now then class, today we're going to explore rhythm. You're going to listen to some different pieces of music and I want you to pick out the different rhythms which are being used. I am going to ask you to attempt to repeat the rhythm that you hear and hopefully by the end of the lesson you will be able to identify some classic rhythms used in different musical genres.

Dan perked up. He loved music although he didn't really get much chance to enjoy it outside his own bedroom. This could be an interesting lesson for once. The hour's lesson passed quickly. Each member of the class was asked to try to tap out the rhythm being used in different pieces of music. Some were more successful than others, although some rhythms were much more complicated than others. Tom was really pleased with himself for correctly repeating a complex pattern. "That's the most fun in class I've had outside science," said Tom as they walked to their last lesson of the day.

"Wow, praise indeed !" said Aneisha.

"Well, it helped that I didn't have to sing," said Tom. "Usually I make a complete mess of music because I can't hear the notes," he complained.

"You do have a tin ear," said Dan.

"Do not !" complained Tom. The others all looked at him. "Do I ?" he asked. They all nodded.

Zoe hugged him. "We love you anyway," she said.

Tom humphed and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe I should try singing to KORPS !"


	2. Chapter 2

**It Takes Two to make a criminal mastermind. KORPS make their move. **

"_You do have a tin ear," said Dan._

"_Do not !" complained Tom. The others all looked at him. "Do I ?" he asked. They all nodded. _

_Zoe hugged him. "We love you anyway," she said._

_Tom humphed and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe I should try singing to KORPS !"_

"I know what you should do though Tom," said Zoe. Tom looked at her. "You should get some fight training in. If you are all going to hang out with me, you're in danger too. You need to be able to defend yourself," she said seriously.

"But I'm always in the base, with the biscuits," said Tom.

"Yes, but I'm going to be in the base as well, aren't I ?" pointed out Zoe.

"You're not interested in the biscuits are you ?" asked Tom suspiciously. Everyone was staring straight back at him. "Off topic ?" he asked doubtfully. They all nodded. "OK, I guess you're right," he said, sighing in defeat. "I hate fighting."

Aneisha put her arm around his shoulders. "Think of it as much needed physical exercise Tom," she suggested.

"Wow, thanks !" said Tom sarcastically. "How I love physical exercise !" Grinning, they all guided him into their last class of the day.

Frank agreed with Zoe's plan to give Tom some fight training and arranged for them all to have a refresher course. On Saturday morning they were taken to an MI9 training camp for the weekend. At the end of the first day, they returned to the lounge area to find Tom slumped in a chair, groaning. "I think I've pulled muscles in places I didn't even know I had places," he complained. Zoe smiled and sat on the arm of his chair. Aneisha collapsed into another armchair with a sigh of relief. Even Dan looked tired.

"I'm bushed !" Dan admitted.

"Sorry I hit you," said Zoe. "I thought you'd dodge out of the way," she added. "Are you all right ?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Dan lied. His jaw ached from where Zoe's kick had landed. He had meant to dodge, but was already tired and couldn't make it in time. She'd nearly knocked him out.

A bell rang. "That's the dinner bell," said Tom, sitting up. "Come on, or we'll be late," he added, setting off out of the room.

Zoe jumped up to follow. Dan and Aneisha hauled themselves upright and looked at one another. "Well, we know what motivates Tom," said Dan.

Aneisha giggled. "What motivates you then ?" she asked. "Don't want to be beaten up by a girl ?"

Dan looked as if he were about to complain at the injustice of the remark, but closed his mouth instead. "I've already been beaten up by the girl," he admitted.

"She's has got a funny way of saying 'I love you', hasn't she ?" joked Aneisha. Dan looked sideways at her.

"Do you think ?" he began softly, and then stopped. "Nah. Come on. Let's go eat," he said. "Tom might not leave anything." The two of them shuffled stiffly after the others.

The next day brought no respite. By the end of the day, Dan had bruised ribs to go with his bruised jaw and felt about a million years old. Tom had stopped speaking. When they all climbed into the van to be taken home Tom sat on the back seat, put on his seat belt and fell asleep. As the front gates to the compound opened and their van exited slowly, vehicles suddenly darted out of the scrub which screened the camp and surrounded the vehicle. There was an explosion and the van toppled over on to its side.

There was shouting, confusion and smoke. Only Tom had got his seat belt on and the others were all tossed across the seats of the van. Coughing from the smoke and rubbing his doubly bruised ribs, Dan felt around for the others. "Zoe, Aneisha, Tom are you OK ?" he called. The sliding door which was now above their heads was pulled to one side. Bright light shone down into the van. Two men jumped in and grabbed Zoe's arms, pulling her up out of the van. "No ! Get off her !" shouted Dan, lunging up at the two men standing in the van. He knocked one man off Zoe and she managed to hit the other man who held her.

More arms reached down into the van and Zoe was swiftly pulled off her feet and into the air. Dan grabbed desperately at her ankles, but couldn't get them. Suddenly hands grabbed his arms as well and he felt himself being lifted off the ground. "Get off me !" he shouted desperately. Once clear of the van he felt himself being tossed sideways and he fell to the ground outside the van, landing on his bruised ribs again. "Ow !" he groaned, trying to push himself up.

"Dan ! Help !" shouted Zoe. She was being dragged towards one of the vehicles. Dan staggered to his feet meaning to run to her aid. Instead, he was grabbed by the arms and dragged after her.

Confused, Dan looked around to the men pulling him along. "What ? Hey !" he shouted.

"Get off them !" yelled another voice. It was Tom, jumping down from the side of the van and looking very awake. He was followed shortly by an equally angry looking Aneisha. The two of them ran at the men holding Dan and attacked them. Dan wondered where Tom was getting the strength from. He had clearly learned a thing or two over the weekend.

"Zoe ! Help Zoe !" shouted Dan. It was too late. He heard, rather than saw, a door being slammed shut and an engine roaring. Aneisha and Tom managed to loose the holds of the men who had captured Dan and forced them to let him go. "Zoe ! No !" shouted Dan despairingly, running after the sound of the retreating van.

"Dan, stop ! It's too late !" shouted Aneisha.

Dan wasn't listening and continued sprinting towards the rapidly disappearing vehicle. Another van pulled out from the side of the track and drew out in front of him. Unable to stop, Dan slammed into the side of the car, bounced off the bonnet and fell back on to the road, unmoving. By now the camp's security were bearing down on the action. Machine guns fired at the KORPS vehicles, gunfire was returned. Aneisha and Tom threw themselves to the ground to avoid being hit. Tom threw his arm over Aneisha's head in a vain attempt to protect her.

Some security people jumped into jeeps and raced after the now retreating KORPS agents, swerving to avoid Dan's body in the road. Other MI9 agents who had been on the same training camp swarmed around them and fought off the remainder of the KORPS agents. Gradually the dust settled and KORPS agents were being taken into custody. "Dan !" said Tom. "Where is he ?" Aneisha pointed to two MI9 agents kneeling beside a body in the road. "No !" whispered Tom. "Please no !"

They staggered to their feet and ran towards Dan. He lay unconscious on the ground with a trickle of blood running from his forehead. "Dan ?" said Aneisha gently, reaching out to touch him.

"He's out cold," said one of the agents looking after him. "We've called medical."

Tom and Aneisha wrapped their arms around one another. "She's gone !" whimpered Aneisha. Tom pulled her closer, hoping to provide some comfort, although he felt none himself.

"Someone's going to have to tell Dan," said Tom quietly.

The rest of the day felt like a bad dream. When Dan regained consciousness, Frank quietly told him that Zoe had been taken. Dan showed little reaction, partly because he already knew and partly because he couldn't bear to move his throbbing head. Frank had already had to comfort a sobbing Aneisha and glum Tom outside. They couldn't bring themselves to tell Dan the news and Frank had had to promise to tell him. "We'll get her back Dan. I'm going to make sure of it," Frank promised him. "Get better soon. We're going to need you," he added. Dan settled back into the pillows and let himself drift off to sleep. The sooner he got out of hospital, the sooner he could start looking for Zoe.


	3. Chapter 3

**It Takes Two to make a criminal mastermind. The hunt is on. **

_Frank had already had to comfort a sobbing Aneisha and glum Tom outside. They couldn't bring themselves to tell Dan the news and Frank had had to promise to tell him. "We'll get her back Dan. I'm going to make sure of it," Frank promised him. "Get better soon. We're going to need you," he added. Dan settled back into the pillows and let himself drift off to sleep. The sooner he got out of hospital, the sooner he could start looking for Zoe._

The next few days at school were difficult for Aneisha and Tom. On top of their worries about Zoe and trying to fit in time to help Frank locate her, they had Mr. McNab on their case. As soon as he heard that Dan had had a road traffic accident he started up a road safety campaign across the school. Breaks were being taken up with safety workshops and road safety videos. He tried to get permission to take groups of Dan's classmates to visit him in hospital, but was refused. He couldn't know that Dan was in an MI9 medical unit.

It was Thursday before a subdued Dan turned up at the school gates. Aneisha and Tom just had time to pull him into a hug before he was hijacked by Mr. McNab. "Daniel ! My office please !" ordered Mr. McNab. Dan wondered what he could possibly have done. He'd only just got to school. Had Mr. McNab introduced a new rule he didn't know about ?

Dan stood in front of the Deputy Head's desk, but was told to sit down. Things couldn't be all that bad then. "Daniel, I was sorry to hear about your accident," began Mr. McNab. "I've been talking to all the students about road safety this week," he continued. "I think it would reinforce all the important things we've been saying to the students if you stood up at assembly and told everyone what happened to you."

Dan sat in panic, his mouth hanging open. "Uhh," was all that came out of his mouth. What was he going to say ? He couldn't tell anyone what actually happened. How would he make up something convincing ? Not knowing what to do, he shrank back into his chair.

Mr. McNab looked with concern at Dan's horrified expression. His face was still covered with scratches and bruises and his body was frozen in fear. Mr. McNab started to have second thoughts. The boy was obviously traumatised by the incident. Maybe he was being unreasonable. "Daniel, I'm sorry. I didn't realise this would be so difficult for you. I completely understand if you don't feel you can manage it," said Mr. McNab.

Dan managed to shake his head. He hissed in a breath as a stab of pain shot through his temple. Mr. McNab saw his wince and decided he'd gone far enough. "All right Daniel, I'm sorry if I've pushed you too far. You don't want to do this do you ?" he asked, getting up and putting his hand on Dan's shoulder.

"No. I'm sorry Mr. McNab," said Dan.

"Very well. I understand. You have a note for the office I assume ?" asked Mr. McNab. Dan nodded. "I'll take it for you," said Mr. McNab, holding out his hand. "You can get to registration. I'll be there in a couple of minutes," he promised. Dan handed over the letter and left the office in relief.

"What did Mr. McNab want ?" asked Tom when Dan got to registration.

"He wanted me to tell the whole school at assembly how I had the accident," explained Dan.

"Wow !" said Aneisha. "Are you going to do it ?" she asked, looking worried.

"No. I sort of freaked out in panic, and he thought I was upset about the accident, so he's let me off doing it," said a very relieved Dan.

"You do look a bit rough still," said Tom. "You need to take it easy today," he advised.

"How am I going to take it easy ?" asked Dan, looking upset. "She's gone isn't she ?"

"Dan ! We know ! We've been working to try and find her all week," whispered Aneisha. Dan saw the tear in the corner of her eye and reached over to squeeze her hand.

"Sorry Neish. I know you will have been doing everything you can. It's just hard, you know," he faltered.

Aneisha and Tom both reached over and squeezed his hands. "We know," said Tom. "We'll find her. We'll get her back and KORPS will be sorry !" he whispered. Dan was surprised by the anger in Tom's voice, but then Zoe was Tom's friend too. He shouldn't forget.

They stopped discussing it any further because Roly, Melissa and Byron had gathered round wanting to ask Dan what had happened. He was greatly relieved when Mr. McNab arrived and shooed them all away. "Now then, class ! I'm sure we're all very pleased to have Daniel back with us. He's had a difficult time and I don't think he wants to talk about what happened to him, so I'd like all of you to give him a little space and not bother him with questions. Do you understand ?" he asked. There was a murmur of agreement around the room. "Good, now we'll get on with the day," said Mr. NcNab as he started taking the register.

After their first two lessons, Dan was starting to find it difficult to cope. He was constantly reminded of Zoe's absence and to cap it all, Melissa seemed to be trying to take up Zoe's empty seat at every opportunity. It was getting on his nerves, but he couldn't take it out on Melissa because she had no idea what had actually happened. He had wanted to come into school so that he could start looking for Zoe, so he might have stretched the truth a little about how well he was feeling when asked by the doctor. The strain of worrying about Zoe was starting to get to him. He got up to follow the others out for break and started feeling dizzy. Everyone disappeared up the corridor in front of him as he left the room, hanging on to the door frame for support. "Dan ? Are you OK ?" asked Tom. He and Aneisha had come back to look for Dan when they realised he wasn't with them. "You look terrible !" said Tom. Dan noticed that Tom was getting taller suddenly. Then he realised he was sitting on the floor. Tom and Aneisha were speaking to him. Their mouths were moving, but he couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Dan !" said another quiet voice. Someone lifted his chin and he looked into Frank's worried face. Frank was holding a Spy Pod. "Dan, your blood pressure is through the roof. You need to rest," said Frank anxiously. He slipped the Spy Pod into his pocket as footsteps approached. "Don't move Dan. Just take it easy for a minute," said Frank.

"What's going on here ?" asked Mr. McNab.

"Dan might have overdone it a bit Mr. McNab," said Frank. "I think he needs to go and have a lie down somewhere," he suggested.

"Oh, that's not good," said Mr. McNab taking in Dan's ashen complexion. "Would you like to go home Daniel ? I could call your parents," suggested Mr. McNab.

"No. Thankyou," Dan managed to whisper. "Could I just have a rest somewhere please, Mr. McNab ? I'll be fine."

"Well, all right. Frank, Thomas could you please help Daniel to the medical room ? See that he gets some rest," asked Mr. McNab.

"We'll see he's all right Mr. McNab," promised Frank. "Come on Dan. A rest'll do you good." Aneisha picked up Dan's bag while Frank and Tom took an arm each and lifted Dan back on to his feet. They helped him walk slowly to the medical room where they took off his shoes and blazer before getting him to lie down on the bed. Aneisha found a blanket to cover him.

"I'm sorry Frank. I wanted to help. I've just made things worse," said Dan, holding a hand to his head.

"Look, don't get upset," warned Frank. "Things always seem much worse when you're not feeling so good. Have a sleep and give me a call when you wake up. I'm sure once you're doing something positive you'll have less time to worry. Deal ?" asked Frank, holding out his hand.

"Deal," whispered Dan, squeezing Frank's hand.

"OK, you get going," said Frank to Tom and Aneisha. "I'll catch you up in a minute." The others left and Frank pulled out the Spy Pod again, putting it against the now drowsy Dan. His heart rate and blood pressure were slowly falling. "Good. We'll see you a bit later then," said Frank. He got up, closed the blinds and then quietly left the room, pulling the door to behind him.

Down in the base, Tom and Aneisha were anxiously waiting. "Is he all right Frank ? He looked really awful !" said Tom, looking worried.

"He'll be better after he's had a rest," Frank assured them. "It's the anxiety on top of the concussion. He just needs to take it easy for a couple of days."

"Well, that's going to be interesting !" said Aneisha, raising her eyebrows.

Dan woke up in the middle of the afternoon. He struggled to remember where he was, then found a note beside the bed saying, 'phone Frank'. He called Frank on his communicator and Frank told him to wait where he was. Shortly Frank appeared and checked Dan over with the Spy Pod.

"Your blood pressure is better. How are you feeling ? Honestly," cautioned Frank.

Dan sighed. "I'm tired. My head hurts a bit, but not as much as it did. I'm hungry," he added.

"Oh, thought you might be," said Frank, pulling a packet of sandwiches and bottle of water out of his overall pockets.

Dan took them and thanked him. Then a thought came. "How big are your pockets Frank ? You seem to be carrying a full mission kit in there," asked Dan, smiling.

"Oh well. Be prepared and all that !" said Frank brightly. When Dan had finished Frank took him to his last lesson of the day. Mr. McNab was just starting.

"Take a seat Daniel," said Mr. McNab nodding to Frank, before starting the lesson.

The end of the school day finally arrived and Dan joined Aneisha and Tom at the lockers. "How are you doing now Dan ?" asked Aneisha.

Dan leaned against the bank of lockers and looked at the others. "I want to find Zoe. I want to help you. I'm worried that I'm going to slow you down," he admitted, looking ashamed.

"Dan, it's not your fault. It's KORPS's," pointed out Aneisha. She turned to see Frank approaching. There was someone with him. It was Dan's Mum. "Dan," Aneisha said, nodding behind him.

Dan turned to find his Mum smiling and dangling her car keys in front of her. "Frank called me," she said kindly. "Let's go home love. You can get to work tomorrow when you're ready," she said.

Dan nodded sadly and turned to go with his Mum as Tom and Aneisha patted him on the back. "See you tomorrow Dan," said Tom. "We'll do our best OK ?"

They watched as Dan's Mum tried to take his bag off him, and Dan fought it back off her. She turned to look over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. Aneisha giggled. "He hasn't lost all his fight has he ?" she laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

**It Takes Two to make a criminal mastermind. The hunt is back on. **

_They watched as Dan's Mum tried to take his bag off him, and Dan fought it back off her. She turned to look over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. Aneisha giggled. "He hasn't lost all his fight has he ?" she laughed. _

Ton and Aneisha spent the evening with Frank looking at CCTV images and police traffic monitors. It was painstaking and tedious. Aneisha peered through a yawn at yet another grainy image of a motorway. Another black van came into view. "There's one Tom," she said. She had lost track of how many black vans they had identified on the roads local to the MI9 training centre.

"OK, getting the number plate," said Tom, chin cradled in his left hand. His mind was only half on the task now. He was so bored. He stared at the image on the screen for ages before he registered what it actually said. "Match," said the screen. It didn't whoop or whistle. It didn't run round the room with both fists in the air. It especially didn't grab Aneisha and jump up and down cheering. Tom did all of those. But, then Tom was not a computer, no matter how much he was accused of being so. Tom had friends, and he was half way to finding one of them.

Attracted by the commotion, Frank and Stella appeared from one of the other rooms. Aneisha looked up with raised eyebrows. They hadn't noticed Stella coming in and what had those two been doing in the back room anyway ? Tom didn't notice Stella smoothing down her skirt, but Aneisha did.

Tom was now typing furiously. "We found the right van Frank. It's number plate matches the one which took Zoe from the MI9 training camp. I'm looking for the next CCTV camera. Hm, it's about 10 miles away, so 70mph, that should be about," said Tom, thinking with his mouth open. "Bingo ! Got them again !" he said triumphantly. Finally, the van left the main road system and Tom sank back into his chair.

"It's OK Tom. You two have done a great job," said Frank grinning. "I think you can leave it with us now. We'll have that area looked into. There aren't many options for the van to travel from there. I'll get HQ on the task now. You two need to go home and get some rest. With luck, we're going to have somewhere to check out tomorrow," he added.

Aneisha and Tom were tired, but hopeful for the first time that week. They had Zoe in their reach, at last. Stella gave them both a lift home

The following day, the team all arrived at school early. Dan looked a lot better and felt hopeful when he found the other two smiling. "You've got something haven't you ?" he asked them.

"Oh yeah. We found the van on the road system. We tracked it for miles. Stella and Frank were going to try to track down its destination when we left last night. We're going to find her Dan !" promised Tom.

Dan grabbed them both and hugged them tightly. "Thankyou," he whispered.

"Hey, it's OK. We care about her too," Aneisha reminded him.

They hurried on down to their base. "Frank, have you found her ?" asked Tom.

"We've found the van," said Frank. He looked like he hadn't had a full night's sleep. "There's an advance party carrying out a reconnaissance mission where we found it. If things check out we can make a raid later today. We're thinking of going in after dark. How are you feeling today Dan ? Honestly please ?" he asked, looking hard at Dan.

"I feel all right at the moment," said Dan. "I guess I won't know how I am going to be later in the day," he had to admit. He desperately wanted Zoe back, but he also didn't want to screw up their chances.

"Well, I'm glad you're being realistic," said Frank. "We'll assume you're on the mission for now. If you start to feel rough this afternoon, we'll arrange for you to get some rest and take it from there, OK ?" he asked. Dan was hugely relieved and agreed happily. "OK, you'd better get to Registration. I'll let you know about progress later on."

It was Friday and the last two periods were PE. Dan was excused PE so he went down to the base to see if he could help. Frank sent him to the medical room to rest. Dan woke up with a start, and looked round the sterile environment before he remembered where he was and why. "You coming or not ?" asked Tom's voice.

"Whu hu ?" mumbled Dan, dragging himself up from the bed where he'd been sleeping.

Tom's head appeared at the door. "Sorry, did I wake you up ?" he asked. "You can go back to sleep if you need to," he added.

"No, no !" said Dan scrambling down from the bed. "Is the mission on ?" he asked, grabbing his jacket and following Tom out of the room.

"Yep. We're on. Frank and Stella's team located a possible KORPS base where the van was driven. There's going to be an assault. We're on the team," said Tom briskly. Then he glanced back at Dan as if unsure. Dan wanted to be on that team.

"Dan ! Are you up to a mission ?" asked Frank. "You need to be combat fit," he warned.

"I think so," said Dan. "I'm not tired any more."

Frank looked searchingly at Dan, but obviously decided that he was telling him the truth. "OK, let's get you all ready," said Frank.

Tom had insisted on going with the team so Stella was acting as liaison at base. She inserted tracking devices under the skin of Dan, Aneisha, Tom and Frank. Other trackers were distributed amongst them. Everyone put them in different places to reduce the risk of them all being found. Equipment was distributed amongst them. "You've got quite a long journey," said Stella finally. "You'd better get going. It will be dark in half an hour. Good luck team," she said. "Oh, nearly forgot !" she said handing a carrier bag to Frank.

"What's that ?" asked Aneisha curiously as they headed up to their transport.

"Sandwiches," said Frank.

They spent their journey to the KORPS base eating sandwiches, fruit and drinking water. "Stella's packed lunches are a bit healthy aren't they ?" said Tom, searching in vain through the carrier bag for a chocolate bar.

"You prefer to tackle a KORPS thug with half a chocolate biscuit spread across your face ?" asked Dan. "That should scare them. That and the 'I ate all the pies' T-shirt."

"You're feeling better now aren't you ?" asked Tom, slightly annoyed.

"Yep," said Dan.

Frank had to pretend to pick wrappers up off the floor to hide his laughter. Aneisha stuffed the last of her sandwich in her mouth to disguise her giggles.

It was completely dark, because the moon was covered up by clouds when they arrived at their destination. The van driver told them it was their destination. Everyone had night vision goggles. They checked that they had communications with Stella in the base and then headed out to the locations which Frank had identified. "OK, I'll got with Tom and Dan you stick with Aneisha," ordered Frank.

"Won't that put both the techie guys in the same team," said Aneisha. "What if we need someone technical ?"

"Well, you don't usually worry about it," said Frank, putting his hands on his hips.

"We don't have Zoe this time," said Aneisha.

"Well, all right then, how about Aneisha comes with me and Tom goes with Dan ?" asked Frank. "Happy with that ?" Everyone was satisfied with this arrangement and they split up. Aneisha and Frank found the van parked under some trees. They checked all round it for booby traps but couldn't find any. "Good. Hopefully, they don't know we've found them," whispered Frank. He pressed his communicator. "Tom, have you found an entrance yet ?" Frank asked.

"Not yet," puffed Tom. "The undergrowth is pretty thick. Dan's cutting it back. We'll call you when we find anything."

Frank waved Aneisha on and they continued carefully down a pathway leading from where the van was parked. At one point, Frank held up his hand. His Spy Pod was detecting some metal ahead. He shone a small torch ahead and it picked up the glint of a fine metal thread running across the pathway at about knee height. Frank pressed his earpiece. "Team, I think they're expecting us," warned Frank. "They've left trip wires."

"Got that Frank," whispered Tom's voice. "We've found a door. We're going in."


	5. Chapter 5

**It Takes Two to make a criminal mastermind. But who is the hunter and who is the hunted ? **

_Frank pressed his earpiece. "Team, I think they're expecting us," warned Frank. "They've left trip wires."_

"_Got that Frank," whispered Tom's voice. "We've found a door. We're going in."_

"What ? Wait !" said Frank. There was silence from Tom. "Stella, do you have their positions ?" he asked.

"Yes ! Oh wait. No ! They've gone off the screen," said Stella, sounding worried. "I'll give you their last position," she said.

Frank checked his Spy Pod and two dots appeared on his screen showing where Dan and Tom had disappeared off the radar. "They must have gone underground, or behind some kind of screening," he muttered. "Come on Aneisha, we'll cut across country. Less chance of booby traps that way."

They both turned off the path and started trying to make their way through the low brush which grew on the forest floor. Like Tom and Dan, they found it hard work and progress was slow. It took them half an hour to reach the position which Stella had sent them. It was difficult to see anything under the cover of the trees, even with the night vision goggles. There was no heat trace to help. After stumbling about for a couple of minutes, Aneisha found the edge of a door which was wedged open by a couple of centimetres. "Frank ! Here !" she whispered. Frank pulled the door open a little more and used his Spy Pod to scan inside.

"Looks clear," said Frank. "Stella, we're going to follow the others. They have found a door which looks like it will take us underground. That's probably why you've lost their signal," reported Frank.

"Take care Frank. There's backup on its way," Stella promised. "Should be with you in half an hour," she added.

Frank thanked her and turned to Aneisha. "Ready ?" he asked.

"Always," grinned Aneisha.

Frank pulled open the door as far as he could against the undergrowth and they squeezed through the gap. Frank left it open to make it easier for the SWAT team to find. Almost immediately they were in complete darkness. A long corridor seemed to have been cut into rock. In places they passed small rock falls and stepped through puddles of water. "This place doesn't look like it's been used for years Frank," whispered Aneisha. "I hope it's taking us in the right direction."

"Well, at least it's taking us towards Tom and Dan," said Frank.

Zoe was taken from her cell on her fifth day in captivity. She assumed that she was being taken to the laboratory for more tests. The KORPS guards kept her shackled all the time they were moving her around. The first time she had tried to escape after picking the lock of the handcuffs with a hair grip, they had tasered her before she managed to knock them all out. That time she woke up in the lab with a thumping head and her hair hanging down after they'd removed every last hair grip. The second time she tried to escape, she had used her shoe lace to pick the lock of the cell door. After quickly re-threading her shoe lace, she had managed to make it past the first set of guards, but had been trapped by a large group of guards alerted by the alarm going off. Finally one had managed to gas her. That time she had woken up strapped to a chair and been tasered again as punishment.

"We don't want to damage you V95," smiled the Crime Minister. "Not permanently anyway. We're making our preparations for the Mastermind's transfer. The final component should be arriving any day now."

"What final component ?" asked Zoe, angrily.

"Well my dear. I don't want to spoil the surprise. Let's just say there will be one additional ingredient this time. You'll be pleased. You'll have a chance to say Goodbye," said the Crime Minister with a false sweetness in her voice. It was seriously creepy. Zoe worried about what they were planning this time. The idea of her consciousness being taken away from her was scary enough, but it sounded like they'd thought of something even worse this time. What could possibly be worse than that ?

Zoe was taken to the same laboratory, but it was laid out a different way. The Mastermind's tank was standing at the side of the room. There were two couches in the centre of the room instead of one. She was taken to one of the couches and strapped down as usual. With a feeling of dread, she looked across at the other couch. "What's that for ?" she asked.

"That's for the missing ingredient," said the Crime Minister, smiling. "It's on its way now. I don't think we have long to wait."

Dan was leading the way through the long rock tunnel. Tom was getting out of breath. "Can you slow down a bit Dan. It's hard to keep up. I need some energy when we get there," Tom puffed.

"What ? Oh sorry. Wait a minute, I think it's getting a bit lighter," said Dan. "We need to slow down a bit anyway."

After slowing down for the last 50 metres they arrived at a half-open door. Grey light was pouring around the door. Tom pulled out a Spy-Pod and scanned the area behind the door. "Nothing showing up," he reported. Dan pulled the door open and winced when it scraped against the floor loudly.

"Hope nobody heard that," whispered Dan.

"Not much we can do about it now," said Tom, with a shrug.

Dan looked sideways at him and smiled. "Well, look at you, the new field mission agent !" he laughed quietly. Tom grinned back at him.

"I'd better have brought some beginner's luck with me then," Tom said.

They left the tunnel and found themselves in what looked like the hallway of an abandoned mansion. The light was coming from tall dusty windows which ran along one side of a large hall. The moon had come out from behind the clouds and was shining in with a soft bluish light. It gave the building an other-worldly, ghostly feel.

"Wow ! What would they want a secret tunnel for ?" asked Dan, taking off his night vision goggles and hanging them round his neck.

"Don't know. Maybe they had secret lovers or they were smugglers or something," suggested Tom, taking off his goggles as well. The moonlight was enough to be blinding with the goggles on. He pulled out his Spy Pod, but couldn't pick up anything interesting with the scanners. "Where shall we go now ?" asked Tom.

"How about we follow those footprints ?" asked Dan, pointing to a line of scuffed footprints running through the dust on the floor.

"Oh yeah, those," said Tom quietly.

Dan set off in the direction of the footprints. Tom sighed and followed. This field work was hard graft. He was getting seriously tired. Now he understood why Dan spent so much of his spare time in the gym training and running in the park. It was a lot harder than just walking to school every day. Still, at least he was a bit better at fighting now. He felt something falling onto his face and frantically waved his arms to get it off. It stuck in his hair and went in his eyes.

"Hey, chill Tom. It's just a spider's web," whispered Dan.

"Urgh ! They're horrid ! I'm really fed up with this whole haunted house look now !" complained Tom, pulling the last of the sticky web out of his hair. Dan rolled his eyes and continued following the footprints.

Everything in the house looked like it hadn't been disturbed in decades. There was a thick layer of dust over everything. Some of the dust sheets which had been thrown over furniture had big holes in them. Occasionally there was a window with a hole which hadn't been boarded over and a cold draught whistled through.

Finally they walked into a large open area with a huge staircase leading up to the right. Tom froze as he turned around. He tapped Dan frantically on the shoulder. Dan turned and also froze. A large group of KORPS guards were standing with their backs to them, huddled around a set of large double doors which were propped slightly open. They were obviously waiting to attack somebody.

Dan and Tom started walking backwards towards the door they had come through. Tom stepped on a creaky floorboard and the men all instantly spun around and stared at them. "Waiting for someone ?" asked Dan.

One of the KORPS thugs grinned. "Yeah, you !" he said.


	6. Chapter 6

**It Takes Two to make a criminal mastermind. The final ingredient. **

_Dan and Tom started walking backwards towards the door they had come through. Tom stepped on a creaky floorboard and the men all instantly spun around and stared at them. "Waiting for someone ?" asked Dan._

_One of the KORPS thugs grinned. "Yeah, you !" he said._

"Run !" hissed Tom. The two agents turned on their heels and dashed up the stairs. The entire group of KORPS thugs raced after them. "Oh God !" panted Tom. He noticed that he wasn't falling far behind Dan, who didn't seem to be as fast as usual. "Dan, are you all right ?" gasped Tom.

Dan was panting too. "It's a bit harder than usual. Sorry," he gasped. Tom remembered that Dan had been lying in bed for a few days and wasn't actually fully fit.

"Do you want to stop and fight ?" asked Tom. "I'm up for it if you are," he added.

"Curtains !" puffed Dan.

"What ?" asked Tom, completely baffled. Dan stopped suddenly beside a pair of huge curtains hanging over one of the tall windows. Dan grabbed the end of the curtain and pulled it across the corridor. The first two KORPS thugs ran into it. Tom grabbed the ropes decorating the side of the curtain and ran it round the two men struggling under the heavy material. The next group of guards arrived almost immediately and the two agents had to resort to fighting.

They stood shoulder to shoulder, kicking and punching at the oncoming guards who were restricted slightly by the narrowing of the corridor. Tom realised that this was why Dan had chosen that particular location. They managed to knock out three or four guards before one pulled out a device and they were both tasered. Tom's last view before he blacked out was of the feet of the KORPS thugs surrounding them.

At this point Frank and Aneisha had reached the end of the tunnel and stepped out into the same corridor as the two boys. Frank glanced around and saw two sets of footprints leading from the tunnel into the house. He pulled out his communicator. "Stella, can you hear us now ?" he asked.

Over some crackly static, he managed to hear Stella's voice. It was strangely reassuring to hear her speak. "Frank ! Yes I can just pick you up. I've also got a tracking signal from Tom and Dan near to you. One of them is stationary and one is moving, but I can't get a response from them. Where are you ?" she asked.

"It looks like some kind of deserted mansion house," said Frank, gazing around him. "Looks like it's been empty for years," he added, running his finger through some dust on a shelf.

"Oh, hang on a sec," said Stella, sounding preoccupied. "Got it. The Gatsby Mansion. It's been closed up since before the war. It's supposed to be empty," she said. "I'll redirect the SWAT team to the mansion. They should be with you soon," she promised.

"Can you give me Tom and Dan's location ?" asked Frank. After a few seconds, Tom and Dan's locations showed up on his Spy Pod. "Come on Aneisha, let's go and find them," said Frank. "We've been separated for long enough. It's time to join forces." Quietly they set off through the house. Aneisha pointed out that all they had to do was follow the boys' footprints in the dust. Frank agreed, but kept his Spy Pod handy in any case.

They stepped through a door into an entrance hall with a huge staircase to the right. There was now a huge jumble of footprints on the floor. "Oh no ! This doesn't look good," said Aneisha. Frank's communicator beeped.

"Frank !" came Stella's voice. "Bad news. I've still got Tom's signal, but Dan has disappeared off my screen."

Frank checked his Spy Pod. Dan had disappeared from his screen as well. "What was his last position Stella ?" he asked. Stella told him where she had last seen Dan and Frank closed the call. "Come on Aneisha. We need to find Tom before he disappears too," said Frank grimly. They sprinted up the stairs and along the top corridor. They spotted a figure lying on the floor ahead of them.

"Oh no ! Tom !" said Aneisha, dashing towards him.

Frank waved his Spy Pod over Tom and checked the readings. "He's been tasered. He should be coming round in a minute," Frank assured Aneisha. They rolled Tom on to his back and Frank started scanning the surrounding corridor. Apart from the ripped curtains there was no sign of life.

"Oh, my head !" groaned Tom.

"It's OK Tom. We're here," Aneisha assured him.

Tom looked around him. "Where's Dan ?" he asked, looking confused.

"We were hoping you could tell us," said Frank. "He's disappeared."

Tom stared at Frank and then his face froze in horror. "Frank ! We've made the most awful mistake !" he wailed.

"What ? What do you mean ?" asked Frank, baffled.

"When they took Zoe at the training camp, they tried to take Dan too !" said Tom.

"Oh yeah. They were dragging him away too weren't they ?" said Aneisha.

"They wanted Dan. That's all they wanted. They must have led us here so they could have another go at getting Dan. We've delivered him straight to KORPS !" whispered Tom in despair. He held his head in his hands.

"Tom, stop. We're all here. We can get them both back," said Aneisha, wrapping her arm round Tom's shoulders. "We just have to work out where they went," she said.

Meanwhile Frank had been looking further up the corridor. "Well, they didn't go any further up this corridor," said Frank. "They must have come back the way they came. Where did you find the KORPS agents Tom ?" he asked.

"Back in the entrance hall," said Tom. "Come on !" he said, getting to his feet shakily. Aneisha took one of his arms to steady him and they set off back along to the corridor to the stairs.

By the time they had reached the entrance hall again Tom was fully recovered, apart from a minor headache. "We came in from over there," said Tom pointing.

"So did we," said Aneisha. "Let's check the other entrances," she suggested. The three agents spread out and started checking all the doors leading into the entrance hall for footprints. "Guys ! Over here !" called Aneisha from a door behind the stairs. The others ran over to her and she pointed to a large group of footprints heading through the door. Through the centre of the footprints snaked two long thin lines. "Someone was being dragged," said Aneisha, pointing to the lines.

Frank's communicator beeped again. "Frank ! We're here !" said Stella's voice. The large front doors were pushed open and Stella and her SWAT team rushed through the doors. Aneisha stepped out and waved the team towards themselves. "What's happened ?" asked Stella when she reached them.

"KORPS have taken Dan," said Tom, before Frank could speak. "They must have wanted him all along," he said glumly.

Stella turned to the SWAT team surrounding her. "We have to recover Agent Morgan as well as Agent Zoe," she said.

Frank pointed to the footprints heading through the door. "There may be boobytraps," he warned the team. Everyone nodded and then pushed through the doors at a run.


	7. Chapter 7

**It Takes Two to make a criminal mastermind. To the rescue ! **

_Stella turned to the SWAT team surrounding her. "We have to recover Agent Morgan as well as Agent Zoe," she said._

_Frank pointed to the footprints heading through the door. "There may be boobytraps," he warned the team. Everyone nodded and then pushed through the doors at a run._

The MI9 team found themselves in a darkened room so switched on their torches. The footsteps were still clearly visible in the thick dust on the floor. They ran after them right across a wide room before scrambling to a halt in front of a large, ornate fire place.

Tom scanned the wall in front of them. "It's made of stone all right," he said, frowning. "There's some sort of mechanism concealed in the side, here," he said, pointing to the side of the fireplace.

Frank started fumbling with his Spy Pod. "I've adapted this to break into electronic locks," he said. "If I adjust this setting here, yes, that's starting to work, and if I alter this here," he said, fiddling with the controls on his equipment. "Yes, we're starting to get some movement here," he said. There was a faint scraping noise from the fireplace and a long dark crack opened in the side. Then it stopped moving. "Oh, blast ! I'll try another setting," said Frank absently.

"Frank, I think we need to hurry," whispered Aneisha. "We might not have much time !"

Stella motioned to one of the MI9 SWAT team, pointed at the location of the lock and nodded. The agent pointed his weapon at the lock and fired off several rounds of bullets. The fireplace made a shushing noise and flopped open.

"Well, I think we've lost the advantage of surprise now !" complained Frank.

"Sorry Frank, but like Aneisha said, I don't think we have time for pussy-footing around now. Come on !" ordered Stella. The SWAT team took the lead with their weapons and they all pushed through the gap in the wall left by the open fire place.

"MI9 ! Get your hands in the air !" yelled voices ahead of Tom and Aneisha. They glanced anxiously at one another.

"Do you think they've found them ?" asked Tom. He got his answer when they ran out into a large room and immediately had to duck for cover as a volley of shots was fired in their direction. "Guess not !" yelled Tom as he and Aneisha hid behind a lab bench. The room was laid out as some kind of laboratory with electronic equipment and microscopes. A group of KORPS guards were at the other end of the room, firing at the attacking MI9 team.

"We need to do something !" shouted Aneisha above the noise of gunfire.

"Well I'm not going to try to karate chop a KORPS agent with a machine gun !" complained Tom. "What are you suggesting ?" he asked.

Aneisha looked around them. "Can you do anything with those ?" she asked, pointing to some large containers of chemicals. Tom crawled over to them and she followed.

"Hm," said Tom, reading the labels. "Well, all you can do with this stuff is set it on fire really," he shouted.

"That'll do !" shouted Aneisha. She hunted around and found some empty beer bottles stacked in a box under one of the benches. It looked like one of the KORPS staff had a secret drinking habit. "Here, fill these !" she hissed to Tom, handing him a couple of bottles.

"Wait ! How are we even going to light them ?" asked Tom. "I don't have any matches !"

"Tom ! You need to learn to look around you instead of at your computer screen !" complained Aneisha. She reached up her hand and felt around on top of the bench above their heads. She found what she was searching for and pulled it down. "Bunsen burner lighter !" she said triumphantly, holding a piezo lighter in her hand.

Tom leant over and kissed her on the cheek. "You're brilliant !" he said.

Aneisha smiled. "It has been said," she grinned. "Now get filling !" They carefully unscrewed the lids on the containers and slowly poured the contents into their beer bottles. Once they had filled eight bottles, Aneisha carefully put the lids back on the containers and shoved them well away under the opposite table. "Now we need a wick," she said, looking around.

"Here !" said Tom, pulling a white lab coat off the back of a chair nearby. Aneisha pulled a pen-knife from her pocket and started tearing off strips of the thick white cotton material. She handed them to Tom who rolled them up and stuffed them gently into the bottle tops. Finally they sat looking nervously at their home-made incendiary bombs. "Well, hello Mr. Molatov !" said Tom. Tom and Aneisha looked at one another.

"OK, get ready to throw," said Aneisha. Gingerly she clicked the lighter near the end of the roll of material. She had to click for ages, before the material suddenly caught light, but lower down than she had expected.

"Oh no ! We should have waited for the stuff to soak up into the cloth !" shouted Tom. "Oh, what do we do ?" he shouted in a panic.

"We chuck it, quick !" yelled Aneisha. She grabbed the bottle with the now flaming wick, stood up and lobbed it as hard as she could down the laboratory towards the KORPS guards, then throwing herself back down as quickly as possible. The shooting paused and there was a confusion of shouting voices at the end of the room, before there was an enormous bang. "Wow ! That was bigger than I expected !" she said to Tom. They both cautiously peered over the top of the bench. They immediately ducked back down as a hail of bullets headed their way.

"Whew ! Now what ?" asked Tom.

"We throw some more !" Aneisha said, grinning at him. "Spread out !" she ordered. She lit another two of the cloths which took more easily as the liquid had had more time to soak into the wick. She moved further across the room, nodded to Tom and then they both stood up and hurled their bottles as hard as they could before ducking back down again. There were two more explosions followed by shouting and a pause in the shooting again. "Come on, let's move further down the room !" murmured Aneisha. They grabbed their remaining bottles and sneaked round to the next bench, before gunfire made them take cover again.

A voice came over their headsets. "Tom, Aneisha, good thinking !" came Stella's voice. Get ready to do that again. Let me know 5 seconds before you throw and we'll give you some covering fire. OK ?" said Stella. Tom and Aneisha agreed.

Aneisha lit another couple of bottles. She touched her earpiece. "Five seconds Stella !" she called before counting down with Tom. "Four, three, two," and their last word was drowned out by a barrage of gunfire from the MI9 team. They leapt up and threw their bombs hard. They must have got closer this time, because there was screaming and more bullets from the MI9 team, before the SWAT team made a rush for the end of the laboratory. The KORPS agents were soon captured as they were distracted by their clothes being on fire. Someone put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.

"Where are our agents ?" demanded Stella of one of the guards. He shook his head. "Aneisha, bring me one of your bombs please ?" asked Stella. Aneisha and Tom picked up their remaining bottles and put them down next to Stella. Stella picked up one of the bottles and stuffed it down the waistband of the trousers of the KORPS guard. "Lighter please Aneisha ?" she asked. Aneisha handed Stella the lighter, wondering if the older woman would actually light the bomb.

The KORPS agent tried to pull free of his captors, but couldn't. Stella lifted the lighter in front of her face and pressed the button a few times so that it clicked loudly in the quiet room. "Last chance," she said grimly to the sweating guard.

"All right, all right ! Get that thing out first !" wailed the guard.

"Tell me !" ordered Stella, leaning into the man's face. "Or you're barbecued KORPS !" she hissed. Aneisha had never seen Stella look so fierce. She guessed there had to be a reason Stella had become a senior agent.

The KORPs man whimpered and pointed to one of the doors at the side of the room. "The lab, in there," he said. "They're getting ready to put the Mastermind into that girl," he added. One of the SWAT team pulled the bottle out of the man's trousers and tied him up with the others. Frank tried the door, but it was locked. He grabbed the three bombs that were left and lined them up against the door. Stella lit the fuses and they all took cover. The bombs exploded and the door was thrown off its hinges. They poured through the open doorway.


	8. Chapter 8

**It Takes Two. Take one Mastermind, add one Romeo to your Juliet and stir.**

Dan woke up to bright white lights and murmuring voices. No way ! He'd ended up in hospital again ! They must think he had a season ticket or something. Then a face he really didn't want to see came into view wearing a triumphant smirk. "Well, well, well if it isn't Romeo. Came to rescue your Juliet I suppose. She'll be delighted to see you, won't you dear ?" said the Crime Minister. She stepped back and Dan looked over to his left. To his side was another medical couch like the one he was strapped on to. Zoe was strapped to the other couch. She looked dazed.

"Zoe, are you OK ?" asked Dan.

"OK ? Oh yes, she's OK I suppose. But soon she will be magnificent !" crowed the Crime Minister triumphantly.

"Dan ? Is that you ?" asked Zoe in little more than a whisper.

"Yes. Where are we ?" asked Dan.

Zoe looked across and saw him lying next to her. Tears trickled from her eyes. "KORPS," she said simply.

"Ah, how heart warming !" said the Crime Minister insincerely. "And you are going to perform one last service for your beloved. She said you were her strength. Well, we're going to give you the opportunity to prove it. The Mastermind was weakened by our last failed attempt to transfer his consciousness into our vessel. The good Doctor devised a method of providing him with additional life force to enable him to make the transfer successfully. Your life force !" she said, grinning maliciously into Dan's face. Once we've drained every last morsel of life from your worthless body, we will be able to complete the transfer to V95."

Slightly stunned by this announcement, there was a brief pause before Dan said, "She's called Zoe."

"Of course. You have your little pet name for her. She was made for this purpose. She is ours to do with as we wish !" hissed the Crime Minister. "You will both serve your purpose." She walked away out of view.

"Dan !" said Zoe. He looked over and saw that she was reaching out her hand as far as she could from the strap over her wrist. Dan reached out with his left hand and they managed to lock fingers between the two couches. "I love you Dan," said Zoe.

It finally hit Dan that he was going to lose her. This was it.

Dan lifted his head slightly and caught a glimpse of an all too familiar glass tank filled with swirling red and orange light. It was the Mastermind. How Dan hated the sight of that thing. The Crime Minister spoke to the swirling mass. "Mastermind, we are ready. We will transfer the boy's life energy first before we complete the transfer. Are you ready ?" she asked.

"I am ready," said the deep, dark voice. It sounded quieter than before. It sounded weaker.

"Excellent, begin !" ordered the Crime Minister.

Dan felt his head being pushed back down to the couch. His shirt was opened and electrical connections attached to his skin. Some kind of metal band was pushed down over his head. He hissed in discomfort as it bit into his forehead. He heard a switch being thrown and a gentle humming noise coming from machinery behind his head. At first he felt nothing, but then a faint tingling in his chest and face. He felt Zoe's fingers tightening around his. He tried to squeeze her hand, but found he didn't have the strength. He couldn't feel his toes, then his feet. It was as though his sense of himself was disappearing. It became difficult to breathe. Heaving his chest up and down to get air became a huge effort. "Zoe ! I," he breathed out. He tried to get another breath to tell her he loved her, but it wouldn't come. The room was going dark around him. His last sense was of his fingers being squeezed tightly and his name being called out.

Zoe stared in despair at Dan. There was no rise and fall of his chest. His face was white and still. His eyes were closed. Those piercing blue eyes were closed and would never open again. She dared to hope for what he had wanted to say to her. She gripped his fingers tightly in hers. "Dan !" she cried in pain. "No !" she screamed.

"Begin the transfer !" ordered the Crime Minister. A headset with lights running through it was placed over Zoe's head.

"I won't !" she sobbed. "I hate you !" she hissed in fury, gripping Dan's lifeless fingers in hers.

The Mastermind's tank was wheeled over next to the couch. The reds and oranges had become bright and glaring. "Begin !" ordered the monstrous voice, now strong and powerful.

As the machinery started to come to life behind Zoe's head there was as series of loud explosions, followed by shouting. A door crashed open and people burst into the room. "Turn that off !" yelled Frank's voice. "Thank God, we're just in time !" shouted Frank.

"No you're not. You're too late !" sobbed Zoe. The thrumming of machinery stopped and hands unstrapped her wrists and ankles.

"Dan ? What's wrong with Dan ?" asked Aneisha's voice. "He looks so .." she trailed off.

"They took his life, to feed the Mastermind," said Zoe. Sitting on her couch and still holding Dan's fingers, she rubbed his lifeless hand between hers, trying to rub some sign of life back into his motionless body.

Looking shocked and disbelieving, Aneisha placed a Spy Pod on Dan's chest and looked at the zeros and flat lines on the display. She looked up into Zoe's face. "Zoe ! How ?" whispered Aneisha. Behind her Frank and Tom looked on in horrified disbelief.

Stella walked across the room, took in the expressions on the team's faces and gasped, "No !" Her expression quickly changed to fury and she began shouting out instructions. "Take them. Take them all, lock them up and leave them to rot !" she shouted to the MI9 agents. The Crime Minister and the KORPS agents were cuffed and taken from the room.

"Tom, can you put his life back in ?" asked Zoe with tears rolling down her cheeks. Tom looked at the machinery behind Dan's body and ran his hand through his hair in bewilderment.

"Zoe, I'm sorry. If I could I would, but I don't even know what these things do !" said Tom in despair. He had never felt so useless.

Overwhelmed by her anger Zoe jumped down, dropped Dan's hand and grabbed a long metal bar from the side of the room. Screaming in anger she launched at the machinery, smashing and crushing any part of it she could reach. Sparks started flying from the equipment and zig zags of electrical arcs shot out. The rest of the team jumped back to avoid the danger. Zoe was oblivious to danger and continued thrashing at the machines. Finally a huge bolt of electricity shot out of the machine and engulfed Dan's body, making it twitch and jump on its couch. If it hadn't been for the straps still holding him down, he would probably have been thrown from the couch.

"Zoe, Zoe stop ! You could start a fire !" called Frank, shocked out of his stupor. Zoe dropped her weapon and slumped to the floor sobbing. Aneisha went to her side and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. As silence fell over the room Frank, Tom and Stella stared again at Dan. Suddenly his chest moved and he took a short rasping breath. "Spy Pod !" shouted Frank. Tom handed him his Spy Pod and Frank placed it on Dan's chest. "Zoe ! You've done it ! You've restarted his heart !" yelled Frank in astonished joy. "Stella !" he shouted.

Stella had already pulled out her phone and was calling for immediate medical backup. Aneisha hauled Zoe to her feet and pulled the shocked girl over to the couch as the others unstrapped Dan's wrists and ankles. "Dan ? Oh Dan !" cried Zoe grabbing his hand and feeling his weak pulse there. She stroked the back of his hand with her cheek, then fell backwards. Aneisha caught her before she hit the floor in a faint.


	9. Chapter 9

**It Takes Two. Payback time !**

_Stella had already pulled out her phone and was calling for immediate medical backup. Aneisha hauled Zoe to her feet and pulled the shocked girl over to the couch as the others unstrapped Dan's wrists and ankles. "Dan ? Oh Dan !" cried Zoe grabbing his hand and feeling his weak pulse there. She stroked the back of his hand against her cheek, then fell backwards. Aneisha caught her before she hit the floor in a faint._

Zoe woke in a hospital room to find Frank, Aneisha and Tom sitting beside her bed. "Frank ! Where's Dan ?" she asked immediately.

"Zoe lie back and try to stay calm please," instructed Frank patiently. "You hit emotional overload and you're exhausted. You need to rest. Dan is safe. The doctors are still working on stabilising his condition. He's much better already," Frank assured her.

"Stabilising him ? But I thought he was alive again !" said Zoe, now distressed.

"He is alive, but he's not very well," explained Tom softly. "His heart must have stopped beating for a couple of minutes. His brain would have been starved of oxygen and the doctors need to keep him quiet while they test for any possible brain damage. They want to give him time to recover. They don't want us going in and stimulating brain activity before they know that he's able to handle it," he said.

This was all a bit technical for Zoe. She had to think about it for a minute. "But he's OK ?" she asked.

"Looks like it," said Tom. "It was you going crazy with the equipment that did it. Would you believe it ?" he laughed. "You vandalised him back to life !"

"I don't think you can count destroying life threatening equipment made by an international criminal organisation as vandalism Tom," pointed out Aneisha. "Next you'll be telling me I'm assaulting KORPS agents every time we have a fight."

"Well, fair point," agreed Tom, putting his head on one side. "They don't stand much of a chance against you though do they ?" he asked her with a cheeky grin.

This completely wrong-footed Aneisha, who sat with her mouth gaping. Finally she closed her mouth, blushed and said nothing.

Zoe reluctantly agreed to lie down and rest while they were waiting. A couple of hours later they were told they could visit Dan briefly and quietly. They helped Zoe into a dressing gown and walked to Dan's room. Dan's bed was difficult to see at first because of the surrounding mass of medical equipment and monitors which now seemed to be turned off. Frank noticed that Dan was squinting from a lamp which was shining directly into his eyes. He pushed it to one side and Dan looked more comfortable.

"Welcome back Dan," said Frank quietly. "The doctor says you're going to be fine. You just need to get some rest, that's all."

Dan blinked and looked around. Aneisha thought he looked more tired than she had ever seen him. He moved his head ever so slightly having caught a glimpse of auburn hair to the side of his bed. His eyes smiled up at Zoe. "Dan ! I thought I'd lost you," said Zoe with tears in her eyes. She picked up his hand and rubbed it against her cheek. Dan looked like he desperately wanted to tell her something. "It's OK Dan. The doctor said you weren't to try to speak. You can tell me later. I'll be listening. Promise !" whispered Zoe. Dan seemed to give up the struggle at this point and fell asleep. Zoe laid his hand back on the bed and they left the room quietly.

Outside the room, Aneisha gave Zoe a hug. "He's going to be OK. We've got you both back again. We're still a team," she said.

"You need to go back to your room Zoe. Come on !" said Frank, putting a hand on her shoulder.

After they had seen Zoe safely back to her bed, Frank, Tom and Aneisha left through the MI9 headquarters to which the medical unit was attached. "Frank, is the Mastermind in here somewhere ?" asked Tom.

"Yes, he's in a holding cell, or laboratory somewhere," said Frank. "Why ?"

"I've got an idea. Can we go and see him please ?" asked Tom. Frank looked curiously at him, but agreed to take them.

A short while later, Tom and Aneisha stood in front of a glowing red and orange glass tank. "Well, if it isn't old fish-face," said Aneisha.

"What ? How dare you ! Children !" boomed the Mastermind's voice. It sounded louder than before.

"He who lives in a glass tank, shouldn't throw insults," said Aneisha sarcastically.

"I have the boy's life now. You cannot diminish me !" snarled the Mastermind.

"Boy ? Oh you mean my friend Dan," said Tom quietly, but with a hint of menace. Aneisha had never heard Tom speak like this. She wondered what he was thinking of doing. "Dan's not dead. Zoe saved his life. He's still ours, and he's not yours to take," said Tom, his voice full of determination. Aneisha could hear a hint of the man Tom would become. She suddenly felt hugely proud of him.

"I think he needs a little diminishing don't you Tom ?" she said, folding her arms over her chest.

"My thoughts exactly Aneisha," said Tom, smiling grimly.

Frank watched the two teens, wondering what Tom had in mind. He glanced around to see if they were being watched. The way in which KORPS had taken and used his team members had left him angry. "You took something that wasn't yours to take," said Frank, also folding his arms. The three stood silently watching the now silent entity.

Finally Tom reached forward to the controls on the side of the equipment supporting the glass tank. "What are you doing boy ? Keep your hands away !" bellowed the Mastermind.

"Yes, about the volume. You're just a little too loud," said Tom, smiling.

"Get away fool ! You know nothing !" shouted the Mastermind, but his voice was getting quieter.

"I know where the volume control is !" retorted Tom.

"What have you done ?" demanded a much quieter voice. The Mastermind sounded a lot less frightening when speaking like a normal person.

"Hm, better. I think we could do a bit more thought, don't you Aneisha ?" asked Tom. Aneisha nodded calmly.

"Got anything in mind Tom ?" she asked.

"I think he needs to channel his inner chipmunk," said Tom. He altered a few more settings on the box.

"Get this meddling oaf away from me !" squeaked a high-pitched voice, which sounded like it had been inhaling helium.

Aneisha laughed and clapped her hands. "Alvin and the Chipmunks ! Brilliant Tom !" she laughed.

Frank was also laughing. "Nice one Tom !" he said.

"You, you meddling boy ! You will pay for this !" squeaked the Mastermind.

"What am I going to pay in ?" asked Tom derisively. "Acorns ?"

Frank couldn't help bursting out laughing. It was impossible to take the Mastermind seriously any more with such a ridiculous voice. With the tiny, squeaky voice still threatening them furiously from behind, the three giggling agents left the laboratory to find Stella standing outside the door with her arms folded.

"I wondered what you three were doing here," she said, looking at them from under her eyebrows. One eyebrow was raised when she heard the Mastermind squeaking insults from the other side of the laboratory. "Hm. Is he off his nuts today ?" she asked. Frank laughed out loud and kissed her on the cheek.

"He overdosed on Dan. I think he should go cold turkey for a while," said Tom.

Stella smiled at him. "I couldn't agree more Agent Tupper," she said. "Good work."

The End


End file.
